The summer's best foodie festivals

West Dean Chilli FiestaWhere: West Sussex, UK.When: Friday August 8-10.

This August festival boasts Latin music and Latin dance classes, but it’s a safe bet that a fair number of the participants – and about 5,000 people generally attend – are just trying to distract themselves from the pain in their mouths. Sure, we all know that eating chillies produces endorphins, but when that natural high has to compete with the tongue-busting properties of, say, the Dorset naga, a home-grown version of a Bangladeshi chilli that’s probably the world’s hottest, then a bit of help is likely to be in order. Salsa, perhaps. Or morphine. Not that anyone’s forced to snack on nagas: there are 300 types of chilli here, and some even come with food on the side.www.westdean.org.uk